The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-08-27
AMAZING ADVENTURES.
Two rruth-Hatins staes-Drivers Meet and
Fight . Mighty Duel.

just now IL happened CnaV inc TWO
stage drivers got into conversation to-
gether will probably never be known;
but the fact remains that they did.
After some preliminary sparring TO
establish the fact that each was pro-
fessional liar as we'll as driver, and
worthy opponent for the other, the
Western man said:
1--WE done some perty remark BILE
things In the West, which 1 s'pose
would s'prise you some II l was to tell
you bout 'em. I was driving stage
once an at Fort Steele somebody stole
all the wheels off'n the stage. Iput
the six hosses ON run an went to
Rawlins, eighteen mile, lickety-brindle,
with the stage fyin' in the air behind
bout four feet from the ground"
II have druv stage some, myself,
mused the Eastern liar, as he closed his
eyes rs II lost in thought. "but always
in the East, so of course I never met
with no such s'prisin' adventures as
you have. l remember one little Incl
dent, though, as might possibly be wuth
tellin'. was drivin' four-hoss stage
tween Scrabbleville and Bone Corners,
twelve miles. One day jess 1 got ready
to start discovered that somebody had
stole the road between the two places.
Plenty O. wheels on my stage, unner-
stand, but no road to run 'em on. l
jes' went down to Butterworth creek
an got couple O. bridges an stuck
one of 'em out towards the Corners,
druv out on it, drawed the other out
and showed it ahead, druv on it, an
KEEP repeatin'. 1 made the drive in
something over four hours"
EYES," said the Western liar, ap-
provingly, 'that was the best you
could do if you didn't have no extra
roads along. We gently carried long
one or two to use in case of 'mergen-
cies. Ever have any trouble with road
agentsp"
"You mean robbers, guessp'
"Yes."
"a couple of EN- tackled me one day,
but chased 'em two mile an finely
run over 'em with the stage"
''All the road agents in the West COM
bined once near Julesburg to down me.
Twenty-Five of 'em opened fire on my
coach at once. 1t made me mad, an 1
got off with my Winchester an went
for 'em. left my hosses' an passen-
gers an beat round in the sage-brush
for three days shootin' road agents.
One would jump up bout ev'ry five
minutes an would crack him over.
Lots O. fun, though needed a good
bird dog. Stage company fined me two
hundred dollars for delayin' bus mess.
1t was further down the river near
North Platte that the m'skeeters tried
to hold me up next summer. They
swarmed all over. One hoss died from
loss o blood-good hoss, too. l be-
lieve a couple O. English tourists who
were riding outside got killed by en-.
too went to smoking some dog-tail
terbacker a man from Missoury give me
an that fixed EN-"
"Ye can't skeer jersey skeeters with
smoke" said the Eastern driver, calm
ly. "rve druv there and tried it. One
evening they were coming up out of
Sedgwick's marsh powerful thick. lit
my pipe an lowed to drive 'em way.
was putin long when suddenly one
of 'em come up an asked me for a
light, an l looked round an seen
mother one scratchin' a match on his
leg an lightin' cigar They were
bad that trip. They would come up
- <hnt n,.c1, ~ CT, nd y,
road an sort O. lean over an look at me
like turkey lookin' at a grasshopper.
1 guess they thought was too small
game. Some O. the young ones picked
at me, though, an made it sort O. dis
'gree'ble.'
"Ever have any sperience with raw.
hide traces P" asked the Western man.
"No," answered the other, doubt.
fully, II guess not-mebby I have
under some other name. though-prob
'bly have. Go head"
~ tried 'cm out in the Green river
country-thought they would be very
dur'ble, you know. Didn't think bout
their li'bil'ty to stretch. I was goin
from Point of Rocks to Green River
Forded Alkali creek an them tugs be-
gun to stretch. was ridin' the neal
: wheel hoss fer q change at the time, an
fore / knowed it the coach was two
milo behind. 1 thought O. goin' back
but seed it wouldn't do no good cause
they were the only traces had, so
keep goin'. When got to Rock Spring
ten mile from the creek, stopped.
didn't know what to do at first, but jes
happened to think of scheme ant
tried it. tied all them tugs together
and fastened 'em to tree, an jes' Sc
down an waited. The sun shone warm
ard by-'n'-by them traces gun tt
shrink an in bout two hours the coacl
come rattlin' long 'sif there was forty
h0sses to il"
II don't b'lieve 1 ever had +,
'sperience zackly like that" said the
Eastern driver, "but had one most a.
bad when druv over the mount'ins il
in Pennsylvany. There come up /,
rain an my whip lash got wet. wa.
crackin' it round an the end of it got
caught some way OH small tree.
KEEP holt of the handle an went or
four OF five mile, where we stopped fol
dinner. Ithrowed the whip down an
it caught on the fence. After l GO